Despite the protracted legal saga over the rightful ownership of the superyacht, the Alfa Nero, the government’s confidence in its ultimate sale has not waned – according to the latest word from the Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff.
The government took control of the vessel that it deemed abandoned back in April, before holding an auction in June, in which former Google CEO Eric Schmidt submitted the winning bid of $67.6 million.
However, the vessel’s alleged owners have filed a number of legal challenges, refuting the government’s ownership and seeking to prevent the sale.
Chief of Staff in the Office of the Prime Minister, Lionel Hurst, addressed the matter during this week’s post-Cabinet media briefing.
“If anything is delaying [the sale], it is those legal proceedings. That’s because the original owners of the vessel have filed a number of lawsuits, none of which is resulting in any success on their part. In other words, they’re frivolous lawsuits that are intended merely to hold up the consummation of the sale.
“We are awaiting the opportunity to appear before the High Court…when you file, you stand in line almost always, and in this particular case I suspect that those who have filed the lawsuits are praying that we have to stand in line for a long time, because it is nothing more than a delaying tactic we believe.”
Yulia Guryeva-Motlokhov, the daughter of sanctioned Russian oligarch Andrey Guryev, is said to be the yacht’s rightful owner, as she is the sole beneficiary of a Guernsey-based trust that is the 100 percent shareholder of BVI-based firm, Flying Dutchman Limited, which officially owns the Alfa Nero.
The government has maintained, however, that the vessel poses a threat to the marine environment in Falmouth Harbour where it has been moored for well over a year – that being the reason it went to Parliament to adjust the Port Authority Act, in order to acquire it legally.
After filing a notice requesting that the owner come forward to receive and move the superyacht, no such response was forthcoming within the time allotted, which gave way for the auction and the planned sale.
While updating the nation on the matter this week, Hurst reiterated the government’s stance in the legal argument and assured that the purchaser remains interested in acquiring the vessel after the court proceedings have concluded.
“There’s no evidence at all to suggest that they did not have notice prior to, and following the ten-day period that was given for the announcement of the auction of the vessel…but Mr Schmidt – the billionaire who has indicated a willingness to purchase the vessel – has not backed away at all from his promise.
“His sixty-seven million dollars are someplace just waiting to be dispatched to the government of Antigua and Barbuda – the rightful owner,” Hurst said.
While the legal rumblings over the superyacht continue, there is concern that – as the 2023 Atlantic Hurricane Season intensifies – the vessel could prove a more serious hazard than previously thought.
There has been no word yet on whether there are plans to move the vessel, at least temporarily, to a more secure location.